To me print will always be superior but I do highly enjoy reading older comics I missed out on here in DC Universe. But it gets hard with storage with physical so I can see the appeal to digital
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I’m probably 80% digital, and would go 100% but my daughter prefers paper. I love going to work with dozens of comics to choose from to read at lunch. Another big plus for digital, no ads to interrupt the reading flow.
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I prefer print; I have a decent collection of comics too.
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I am going through the entire New 52 which is over 1,900 comics and would cost me over $10,000 to buy in print…but cost me just $75 for an annual subscription to this fine service. For the old books I love digital for convenience and cost - I can just look up an old character and start reading books whenever I want.
For new books I still go to my local comic shop every month to pick up a hard copy and I live sitting and reading them.
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I totally agree. If you’re doing that kind of reading project then this is the only way it can be afforded. I’ve been reading all of Johns JSA and Dixon’s Robin and I figure in trade it would cost about…43 trades…$860. I can pay for 10 years of this app!
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I prefer the actual comics. There is no value in the digital comics. I do love digital comics for lunch breaks, doctor visits, vacations, etc.
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Hi! Welcome!
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I do both, its handy to read them digitally cuz I can read them anywhere at anytime. But if I really love it I’ll get it in print for my collection.
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For me I prefer both, digital (specifically on this app) is good to read on the go and look through thousands of digital books for an interesting story that may or may not be easy to find at a local comic shop. The prints are a classic way of reading and collecting these books. I grew up reading prints, reading my dad’s collection until I started reading and collecting my own. Overall, both variations bring me joy in reading comics.
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Lunch time reading is great. I got a few work associates (including my former editor, who typically can’t be talked into anything) to sign up for DCU based on the extraordinary convenience afforded by our library.
Them: “Ah, I’m not interested. I’ve got too much to do.”
Me: “You can pull up the app when you do have a few free minutes and easily read a book or two, no sweat.”
Them: “Well, okay. How do I sign up?”
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Same with travel. Now when I’m on the read for a week or spending a day in airports, I’m carrying a comic book collection with me
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Welcome!!!
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Welcome!!!
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I prefer print, but I read a lot of comics digital because of this app.
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I prefer print for the nostalgia factor (it’s not just the comics. It’s the ads the letter columns and even the special features like the daily planet pages that had the answer man and the Hembeck cartoons!)
The main advantage of the digital comics is the accessibility when I’m away from home. I can bring up whatever app be it DC Universe or comixology and read whatever I want.
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I have been thinking about this for a long time. Do you think it is finally time traditional comics move out the way in order for digital comics to take their place? This thought alone pains me… it pains my 56 long boxes. But when you think about the fact that those entire 56 long boxes could be viewed at one time on a tablet or phone it makes you think. Yes I will miss the feel, the smell, the feel of the pages. But has tecnology finally become one of those things that stamps out physical comics (of course old school comics will be valuable, but it would be easier to read older comica digitally). And yes, this really should be moved to another thread 
.
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@josephkellis24.39502 That’s a great question! I sometimes wonder if traditional comics will soon give way to an all-digital market. I grew up buying physical issues at the corner bodega or at my local comic shop. My local library had lots of trade paperbacks and once I got my first job, I started going to conventions. There’s something special about holding a comic in your hand and reading it.
While I love the convenience of the digital format, I view it more as an added bonus than a future replacement.
I think they haven’t gone all-digital because the trade paperback market in bookstores and Amazon is still very strong. We see people display their collections of things on social media all the time and comics are no exception. I also think going all-digital would hurt the convention-scene, but in a specific way: creators. Artists and writers make money selling copies of stuff they’ve worked on and on autographs. It’s a weird thought of an all-digital future where people bring their tablets to be signed by a writer or artist; you’d need a physical copy of the comic to bring to them or buy at their table.
I wonder if there’s any other avenues to explore with this. Again, fantastic question @josephkellis24.39502
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Normally I prefer print but reading digital is always great because of the panel transitions like you said. I have gotten into the habit now of reading the issues digitally and then buying them physically if they are available.
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Excellent points. I see paper comics sticking around for a long time. I remember when regular books were supposed to be going away due to e-books hitting the scene but that still hasn’t happened.
Digital is cool and all but you are still just “renting” the product versus outright owning it for the most part. Buying print can also ensure you are getting the “true” version of a story as well. Remember when DC censored future printings of Batman Damned?
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@josephkellis24.39502 @superby1 @Bukdiah I think the problem with comics is that they are viewed as both a collectible and as reading material. The reason Detective #27 and Action Comics #1 are valuable are because they were thrown away just like newspapers and magazines.
The problem we have is the collectors may walk away if the industry goes digital for single issues. Another problem is that there are many more competing entertainment options (video games, movies, etc.) which has driven down reading in general. Just ask the newspapers and magazines.
Let’s say digital comics dropped to $1 per issue, would four times the people buy comics? I doubt it. The best selling graphic novels are titles like Bone that are sold through school book sales. DC is entering that market with YA novels but needs to have an on-ramp for kids to get into comics. How would people (kids) stumble upon ComiXology or the DC Comics App? Just going digital is not going to create new readers.
We forget that we are people who like to read and are attracted to art. That narrows your target market. I’m a trade reader, but I love the DCU library. I also subscribe to another major publisher’s comic service and buy comics digitally. I just love comics and the characters in them. But, I left my collecting days behind me when I went to college and didn’t come back until my late 40s and now I’m in my late 50s. If comics are to survive we need to grow a new generation of readers to replace us.
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